Looking for my father 1941-46; 6009811 Alexander George BEWERS, Essex Regt., Grenadier Guards & RA

Hi
My Dad (Alexander George Bewers) was a regular army soldier in 3rd battalion Grenadier Guards. He was with them in France and was wounded on the retreat to Dunkirk.
He told me that he and other wounded men were left behind in a church because they couldn't keep up with the rest, however some of them decided to try and get back on their own.
He did make it to the beaches and got out in one of the last boats.
He was in hospital in Yorkshire and after that was told he was unfit for the Guards so was transferred to the Royal Artillery. He served in Iraq, Italy, Palestine and Greece until 1946.

I have searched but found no mention of this incident during the retreat in published materials. Can anybody shed some light please?



[Edit dbf: title on merging with older thread]

 

Hi and Sorry for the huge time span.

My father was a soldier from 1936. He served in the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards until he was wounded on the retreat to Dunkirk.He had to leave the Grenadiers then because of his injuries.
After that his story gets vague.
I know he served in Italy at some point because he had the Italy Star.
I know he served in Iraq at some stage because I have photos of him that he said were taken in Baghdad and Basra.
I know he was in Palestine because he mentioned Irgun and the Stern Gang.
I know he was in Greece because he got engaged to a Greek girl. He promised to return after he was demobbed, but never did.

He may have been with the Royal Artillery, but I've not been able to trace him.
I now think he might have been with one of the Territoriel battalions of the Essex regiment because the locations match quite well.

I have requested his service records, but I've been waiting ages for a reply.

My father's name was Alexander George Bewers. I know this is a long shot, but he might have appeared on someone's radar ? :biggrin:

 

Hello
Give them a chase up
https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records

Regards
Clive

 

Did you apply to the Guards HQ or the Army Records in Glasgow?

I would recommend reading a copy of Guards VC by Dilip Sarkar. This covers 3 GG in France during 1940.

 

Ta Clive

Will give them a nudge.

Ta Drew

I haven't tried the Guards HQ because they wouldn't have been interested in him after Dunkirk.
I don't know anything about Army Records in Glasgow, but will google now.

 

I see you posted your query below in January 2013 and didn't get any replies

"Valia
Hi
My Dad (Alexander George Bewers) was a regular army soldier in 3rd battalion Grenadier Guards. He was with them in France and was wounded on the retreat to Dunkirk.
He told me that he and other wounded men were left behind in a church because they couldn't keep up with the rest, however some of them decided to try and get back on their own.
He did make it to the beaches and got out in one of the last boats.
He was in hospital in Yorkshire and after that was told he was unfit for the Guards so was transferred to the Royal Artillery. He served in Iraq, Italy, Palestine and Greece until 1946.

I have searched but found no mention of this incident during the retreat in published materials. Can anybody shed some light please? "

 

Is this your father?:

Birth details
Name: Alexander G Bewers
Mother's Maiden Surname: Runter
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1917
Registration district: Chelmsford
Inferred County: Suffolk
Volume Number: 4a
Page Number: 1109

Outward from UK Passenger list:

Name: Mr A G Bewers
Gender: Male
Age: 34
Birth Date: abt 1917
Departure Date: 24 May 1951
Port of Departure: Liverpool, England
Destination Port: Sydney, Australia
Ship Name: Dorsetshire

Death details:

Name: Alexander George Bewers
Birth Date: 1 Jan 1917
Date of Registration: Sep 1979
Age at Death: 62
Registration district: Dartford
Inferred County: Kent
Volume: 16
Page: 0885

Marriage details:

Marriage to Gladys Hilda Hawkins
1946
Age: 29
Chelmsford Essex UK


TD

edited to add:
On Ancestry there is 1 Public tree and 1 Private tree for this person

 

Good Morning.

4jonboy:

Thanks
Yes I posted that query in 2013. There's no reason I shouldn't be trying again is there?

Tricky Dicky:

Thanks
Yes,That's him. I know those details apart from the voyage to Australia. This is new information but not impossible. I was only a small child and remember nothing of that happening. My father did say to me in later years that we had almost emigrated to Australia, but that my mother had baulked at the last minute. It is possible that he went alone and returned later. He was certainly in my life later on, if reluctantly.

 

And again.....

Drew 5233

Thanks I will try and get hold of the Sarkar book

Owen

Thanks. I applied to the MOD with the £30 cheque.

 

Diane,

I understand that if a Guardsman transferred out of the regiment his papers would not usually be retained by the relevant Guards RHQ so in this case his papers would be with MOD.

However RHQ GG may be able to assist at least with his service number which should be recorded in the enlistment book.

Regards

Steve

 

I had a look through the Australian archives but couldn't find any references to his name. There is a passenger search function which is pretty accurate so I think this ties in with the story about them canceling at the last minute.

It's a pity that his application to emigrate isn't in the archives as one of the questions regards the applicant's previous military service.

 

Thank you DaveB, that was kind of you.

I found a 2nd hand copy of 'Guards VC' online and can't wait to read it.

My father, like many others, spoke rarely about his early life. He was a hard man who lived in the moment and I was afraid of him. My mother died young, so my parents are almost strangers. Any snippet of information is pure gold.

 

Hello after a long absence

Further to my search in 2015......... I gave up on researching my father and since have concentrated on looking for more information on my mother. I found some very interesting things about her, but eventually exhausted all avenues.
So back to Alec Bewers. I'm now fairly confident that he was wounded at the Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal May 25-28th 1940. If he and his friend made it back to Dunkirk they'd not have reached there in time for the main evacuation phase so maybe the wounded from this battle were transported to another Channel port ??

 

It was possible to have been on the passenger list but not have sailed. My grandparents are on two seperate lists but never went as my dad who was part way through an engineering apprenticeship in the UK did not want to go.

The fare was £ 10, I assume subsidised by the Australian Government, hence the expression in Australia "Ten Pound Poms".

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